New Calgary school named after fallen soldier Nichola Goddard

Captain Nichola Goddard, was the first female Canadian combat soldier killed in combat, and the 16th Canadian soldier killed in Canadian operations in Afghanistan. She died in operations in the Kandahar province on May 17, 2006. She was an officer with the 1 Royal Canadian Horse Artillery. (Photo handout)

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Capt. Nichola Goddard’s name will live on in the walls of a new Calgary school, one of four opening this year.

The Calgary Board of Education approved the names of four new schools, expected to open in September, including one with the moniker Captain Nichola Goddard School, chosen in honour of the Calgary soldier killed in Afghanistan in 2006.

Her mother Sally Goddard said the school’s name will serve as a lasting legacy for her daughter, the first female Canadian soldier killed in combat in Afghanistan.

“We are thrilled to have that kind of memorial,” she said from her Charlottetown, PEI home.

“It will be a living tribute to her.”

She said her daughter wanted to serve to help pave the way for others to rebuild the country, including her father Tim, University of Calgary professor emeritus and former vice provost international who is currently in Afghanistan with professor Jim Paul working on a $10-million project to establish a teacher accreditation system.

“It’s a fitting memorial — it is lovely,” Sally said.

In a release, the Calgary Board of Education said “Goddard believed that her service would prepare the way for others to build a better life, specifically through education.”

Captain Nichola Goddard School will accommodate Grades 4 to 9 students in Panorama Hills.

The board also approved the names of Nose Creek School, in Coventry Hills and Country Hills Village, and Twelve Mile Coulee School in Tuscany, both serving students in Grades 4 to 9.

Ted Harrison School, named after one of Canada’s most popular artists who has also written and illustrated children’s books, will accommodate students in Grades 5 to 9 in Taradale.